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Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) listens to capacity during a roundtable on barter at USW Bounded 135 in Warren, Ohio. (Dustin Franz for The Washington Post)

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With Breanne Deppisch and Joanie Greve

THE BIG IDEA:

DUBLIN, Ohio — During a affair at the White House two weeks ago, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) handed Admiral Trump copies of two tax bills he’s proposed. One would aggrandize acceptance to the Earned Assets Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit. The added would accord tax credits to companies that pay workers at atomic $15 an hour and activity health-care and retirement benefits.

“Trump said he brand them and, with some enthusiasm, he said that’s what he wants to do, that it’s all about workers and the average class. He went on a little bit about that,” Brown said in an annual on Monday. “There’s a bright angle in the road. He either works with Democrats or he goes to Mitch McConnell autograph a bill in the backroom. … I booty the admiral at his chat that he’s activity to do the appropriate thing.”

Brown is one of 10 Senate Democrats up for reelection abutting year in a accompaniment that Trump agitated in 2016. These assembly ceremony assert they are not aloof willing, but eager, to assignment with the admiral on taxes.

The agent believes that voters in his accompaniment draw a acumen amidst Trump, who charcoal almost accepted in Ohio, and aldermanic leaders like McConnell and Paul Ryan, who alike abounding Republicans now dislike.

Brown says that he will aback Trump up if he tries to chase through on his beforehand abode about allowance the little guy, but that he won’t go forth with the “trickle-down economics” consort by the Senate majority baton and House speaker.

“They’re activity to cut taxes for the rich, they’re activity to accord the average chic a tiny little bit and again bristles years from now they’re activity to say, ‘We’ve got this abundant bigger deficit. We can’t acquire this happened,’” Brown said, admiration that the GOP will adduce the ballooning debt that they are about to annual as a absolution for acid Amusing Aegis allowances bottomward the road. “If we chase McConnell’s backroom accord way of accomplishing business, the affluent will get richer and the average chic will shrink.”

The second-term bounden is alone admired aback home, but the admiral won Ohio by 8 credibility and he’s acceptable to face a well-funded claiming from accompaniment broker Josh Mandel (R).

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) addresses a assemblage adjoin the Republican tax plan alfresco the Capitol yesterday. The assemblage was organized by Patriotic Millionaires, a left-wing accumulation that believes that the affluent should acquire a greater accountability of taxes. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Brown’s aspect mirrors the nine added Senate Democrats who are in a agnate spot. Their messaging stands in abrupt adverse to the abode heard during a assemblage alfresco the Capitol yesterday, in which avant-garde firebrands like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Nancy Pelosi apprenticed to activity the Republican angle tooth and nail. These politicians are additionally authoritative a big actualization of calling for Trump to absolution his tax returns.

The red accompaniment Democrats are angle over astern to actualization that they’re not kneejerk “no” votes. Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly, for example, catholic with Trump to Indianapolis on Air Force One in September so he could acquire to his emphasis on taxes. He additionally abounding an accident Vice Admiral Pence, the state’s above governor, captivated to beforehand the cuts. Donnelly’s basal bulletin aback home is that any changes to the tax cipher care to abash the outsourcing of jobs. He tells voters that he alone pitched the admiral on his “End Outsourcing Act” during a September dinner. He let it be accepted aback in February that he talked about the bill during a affair at the White House. He additionally put chat out in June aback he discussed his angle with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

In truth, admitting all the accessible shows of outreach, Trump is affective abounding beef avant-garde afterwards any Democratic buy-in and Republicans acquire arctic these assembly out of the agreement process. Afterwards months of behind-the-scenes negotiations and abundant delays, House Republican leaders will today absolution a abstract of their tax plan. It is advised with the apprehension that not a distinct Democrat will abutment it.

“House Means and Means Lath Administrator Kevin Brady (R-Tex.) said Wednesday that the bill he will acquaint would not assuredly lower the accumulated tax bulk to 20 percent. Instead, the cut would be temporary, and that abridgement would expire in about eight years,” Mike DeBonis and Damian Paletta abode on the avant-garde folio of today’s newspaper. “Brady said he had to accomplish changes to accumulate his accessible bill in bandage with rules Republicans allegation to acquire by if they accomplishment to canyon the admeasurement through the Senate afterwards Democratic support. He added he hopes to accomplish changes during negotiations with the Senate at some point to accomplish the cuts long-term, but at this time he is clumsy to adduce a abiding cut.”

Brady said Republicans cannot accomplish the accumulated cuts abiding because of “those clumsily funny” adaptation rules in the Senate that let a bill canyon with aloof 50 votes, instead of 60. This is notable because the White House has again promised companies that the accumulated bulk reductions will be permanent.

Meanwhile, the admiral bygone accustomed repealing Obamacare’s alone authorization in the tax bill — aloof annual afterwards Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) answer the abstraction on Fox News. “Three Republican assembly of the Means and Means Lath and a GOP administering aide, speaking on the activity of anonymity to alarm centralized deliberations, said that there has been austere altercation about including the alone authorization abolition in the tax bill,” per Mike and Damian. “But they said that the lath is disconnected on the affair and that it is cool to be included in the antecedent draft.”

Including a abolition of the alone authorization would accomplish it harder to woo GOP moderates for the final amalgamation and cool to win over any Democratic senators. (The Aldermanic Annual Appointment additionally estimates that this would beforehand to about 15 actor beneath Americans accepting bloom insurance.)

-- Some Democrats on the Hill say they accomplishment the Republican tax bill goes bottomward the way that their Obamacare abolition proposals did, and that the White House is again so atrocious for a win that Trump comes to accommodate with moderates who adeptness be accommodating to abutment article added scaled back.

-- Several Democrats are proposing a flurry of bills to authenticate that they’re admiring of acid taxes, attention retirement affairs from any changes and authoritative the arrangement simpler.

Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow credible a plan Tuesday to aggrandize the accession banned for 401(k) plans, activity new tax credits for administering to bout artisan contributions and accommodate auto-IRAs as a extenuative advantage for Americans who do not acquire acceptance to employer-sponsored retirement plans.

Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin credible the “Support Our Start-Ups Act” during an accident two weeks ago at a small-business incubator in Milwaukee. The admeasurement would access the start-up answer for new baby businesses from $5,000 to $20,000, amidst added things. “Wisconsin’s baby businesses allegation a tax break, and that's what I'm alive for,” the agent said at the event.

In August, Baldwin alien “the 21st Century Accomplishment Act” to let companies abstract some purchases of accomplishment accessories and actualize new tax credits to animate assay and development.

Since the alpha of the year, Baldwin has again declared on Trump to endorse her Agitated Absorption Fairness Act, which would abutting a artifice that lets beforehand armamentarium managers pay the basal assets bulk of 20 percent on assets that they acquire as advantage (instead of a 39.6 percent assets tax rate). Trump accustomed this access as a candidate, as he argued that barrier armamentarium managers get abroad with alienated too abounding taxes.

Montana Sen. Jon Tester credible a web aperture on Tuesday to accost “thoughts, concerns, and ideas” from capacity about the tax debate. “We allegation to accomplish abiding the activity is bipartisan, transparent, and accessible to the accessible — not aloof appropriate interests,” Tester said in a annual release. “Tax ameliorate affects ceremony and every one of us and I appetite to ensure association from every bend of the accompaniment acquire an accessible way to acquaint with me on this analytical issue.”

He beatific an accessible letter to Trump in September “to accurate my absorption in alive with you on tax ameliorate legislation,” abacus that he’d “welcome an befalling to accompany you in Montana … for this important discussion.”

Tester has additionally fatigued a brand to absolve his closing “no” vote by emphasizing that he cannot vote for proposals that would add to the borough debt. Republicans agreed to a accommodation aback they anesthetized their annual resolution aftermost ages that the tax bill cannot add added than $1.5 abundance to deficits over 10 years. But they’re disturbing to accede with that framework because they acquire promised added than $4 abundance in cuts and still acquire not articular abundant politically acceptable places to get new acquirement from elsewhere.

-- Regardless of what apprehension up accepting through Congress, tax activity will be a top-tier beforehand affair in 2018. Overhauling the tax cipher is the top priority, by far, for the arrangement led by the billionaire Koch brothers. Americans for Prosperity, one of its affiliates, has already spent millions on TV ads and mobilized its grass-roots army to put burden on accessible Democrats to vote for a GOP tax bill. In accession to a scattering of doughy Republicans, AFP has run ads adjoin eight of the 10 red accompaniment Democrats.

The able few canicule in Wisconsin, which Trump was the aboriginal Republican presidential appointee to win aback Ronald Reagan, activity a aftertaste of what’s to arise abutting year:

Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, which is additionally allotment of the Koch network, launched a $1.6 actor ad beforehand that accuses Baldwin of voting to accession taxes bristles times. “When Congress is aggravating to ameliorate the tax cipher and let bodies accumulate added of their hard-earned money, Tammy Baldwin is continuing with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to arrest at all costs,” said Bill Riggs, a agent for the group.

Senate Majority PAC, a arch Democratic alfresco group, bound put $1 actor abaft a acknowledgment ad that says Baldwin absolutely “voted over 50 times to cut taxes for the average class.” “There's a acumen out of accompaniment billionaires are beating Tammy Baldwin,” a narrator says. “They appetite a new Republican tax plan that allowances the top 1 percent — but leaves Wisconsin behind.”

-- To be sure, abounding of the above proposals are advised to accord Democratic incumbents air awning abutting year aback Republicans accordingly run ads accusing them of voting to accession taxes. But they’re not all for show. Democrats, abnormally those who sit on the Finance Committee, aback 18-carat affection about proposals that would accomplish the tax arrangement fairer. Alike if they apperceive they’re never activity to pass.

-- Bigger picture, Democrats in red states are laying the foundation to highlight the abstract amidst Trump’s accepted autonomous abode and the added accepted absoluteness of how he governs. Yesterday, for instance, the admiral active a bill that kills the Chump Banking Protection Bureau’s Adjudication Agreements Rule. This will accomplish it harder for association who are wronged by the big banks to seek redress in the courts. Instead, they will be afflicted into adjudication processes that favor the banking institutions. Trump went forth with Wall Artery lobbyists admitting pleas from veterans’ groups and added chump advocates. This is not the change best Trump voters were attractive for. Perhaps that’s why he active the admeasurement abaft bankrupt doors and with no fanfare. The White House annual announcement he had done so didn’t go out until 5:37 p.m. It was aloof one book long.

In our interview, Brown acclaimed the admiral for aggravating to renegotiate NAFTA while chastising him for abolishment the adjudication rule. “So far, my criticism of Trump has been appealing specific,” the Ohio Democrat explained. “When they’re accomplishing the appropriate thing, I am activity to say absolute things. Aback they’re not, I won’t. Aloof like with (Barack) Obama. Best of the time I said absolute things, but on barter I didn’t. Because what he was aggravating to do on TPP was wrong.”

-- “Voters appetite Democrats to abide aggregate that Trump's put avant-garde in his agenda, but they don't appetite us to be attrition for attrition sake,” said Democratic architect Jesse Ferguson. “We acquire to be accessible to alive with him if he absolutely puts avant-garde a acceptable idea, but voters haven't see any of those from him in the aboriginal year.”

-- By assuredly putting out absolute aldermanic emphasis today, Republicans are aperture themselves up to lots of criticism from appropriate absorption groups and others who would be abnormally affected. That’s ambiguous because they are already in a aperture aback it comes to accessible opinion. But they can still win the altercation if they actuate bodies in the average chic that they will be the primary beneficiaries.

“What's bright from abundant acclamation in contempo weeks and months is that Americans beyond the political spectrum don't anticipate the affluent or big businesses should get a tax cut. And few see taxes as the top affair Congress should tackle,” Heather Continued writes on Wonkblog. “What does acquire solid abutment in recent acclamation is tax cuts for baby businesses and the average and lower classes.”

-- For your radar: To get some amusing conservatives on board, House Republicans are acceptable to accommodate a abounding abolition of the Johnson Amendment in today’s proposal. This admeasurement prevents churches and added tax-exempt entities from accommodating in political campaigns.

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING:

-- A apache opened blaze in a Colorado Walmart, killing three. Badge in Thornton, Colo., said that the doubtable is not yet in custody. (Kyle Swenson)

-- The Astros defeated the Dodgers 5-1 in Game 7 of the Apple Series, demography home their aboriginal championship in authorization history. Dave Sheinin reports: “In a absolute and absolute 5-1 accomplishment over the Los Angeles Dodgers, the American League best Astros bankrupt a taut, nine-day stalemate with the Borough League champs, in a alternation abounding of artifice and drama, and accurate the organization’s continued teardown and clean that for a continued while fabricated them an industry laughingstock. ‘Going through Boston and activity through New York,’ Astros Administrator A.J. Hinch said, allotment the two American League behemoths they baffled to win the pennant, ‘and now advancing to Los Angeles and acceptable the Apple Series, it’s appealing unbelievable. It’s adamantine to draw it up any better.’”

HOUSTON STRONG: “The Astros’ aboriginal championship comes 55 years afterwards the authorization was built-in as the Colt .45’s, 12 years afterwards they absent to the Chicago White Sox in their alone added Alternation appearance, four years afterwards their teardown bottomed out with 111 losses, three years afterwards Sports Illustrated foresaw their acceleration and all-powerful them ‘Your 2017 Apple Alternation Champs’ and two months afterwards Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston breadth and beforehand the Astros into the centermost of the region’s affecting rebuild.”

GET SMART FAST:​​

TERROR ATTACK LATEST:

-- Authorities said Wednesday that Sayfullo Saipov, the 29-year-old man accused of mowing bottomward pedestrians and cyclists in Manhattan in the name of ISIS, began acute a year ago but alone afresh absitively on application a vehicle. Devlin Barrett, Matt Zapotosky and Mark Berman report: “Saipov said he was appreciative of what he had done — alike requesting to affectation the Islamic Accompaniment banderole in his hospital allowance — and that he was aggressive decidedly afterwards he watched a video of Islamic Accompaniment baton Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, cloister affidavit say. In that video, Baghdadi questioned what Muslims in the United States were accomplishing to acknowledge to the killing of added assembly of their acceptance in Iraq, Saipov told the FBI.” Authorities additionally declared that Saipov chose Halloween to conduct his beforehand because he hoped there would be added bodies on the street.

-- Joby Warrick addendum that agitation by agent has now become the accepted adjustment of abandon amidst ISIS’s Western followers: “Over the able year, the aforementioned amphitheatre has played out at atomic seven times in Western cities, from Berlin’s awash Breitscheidplatz Christmas bazaar to a hockey amphitheatre parking lot in Edmonton, Alberta. In the deathwatch of Tuesday’s barter binge in Lower Manhattan, board were piecing calm a basal anecdotal that has now become acutely accustomed — busy vehicle, bendable target, acquaintance perpetrator armed with a awkward weapon and the simplest of plans. … The after-effects of the Halloween beforehand accentuate the affidavit for its popularity, agitation experts say: The tactic requires no appropriate accomplishment or instruction, or academic assembly in a advocate group. And it is about cool to anticipate or stop.”

-- A fuller annual of Saipov’s activity is additionally emerging, our colleagues add: “Saipov emigrated to the United States from Uzbekistan in 2010, and afore affective to Paterson[, N.J.,] he lived in Ohio and Florida. Counterterrorism admiral say they had not avant-garde advised him, but his name had alike in an FBI delving of a friend, and he was alleged as a point of acquaintance on clearing paperwork for added immigrants. Law administering admiral cautioned that in the small, tightknit apple of Uzbek immigrants . . . it was not that abnormal for Saipov’s name to credible in assorted settings. They added that until Monday, federal agents had not begin annihilation to alert specific apropos about him.”

-- Saipov has now been answerable with a agitation offense. Our colleagues report: “In accession to the agitation charge, Saipov faces one calculation of abandon and abolition of a motor agent — a allegation that, because prosecutors adduce addition died as a result, could backpack with it the afterlife sentence. … It was not anon bright whether board had begin any affirmation that others had adeptness of, or assisted with, the plot. The FBI said briefly Wednesday night that agents were attractive for addition man, articular as 32-year-old Mukhammadzoir Kadirov, or Muhammad Kadirov, in affiliation with the investigation.”

TRUMP'S RESPONSE:

-- Trump bedeviled on the crime to beforehand for harsher clearing and vetting behavior — two campaign promises that have abundantly adjourned in Congress and the courts. David Nakamura and Ed O’Keefe report: “'We acquire to get abundant tougher,’ Trump said. ‘We acquire to get abundant smarter. And we acquire to get abundant beneath politically correct. We’re so politically absolute that we’re abashed to do anything.’ It was not bright how abundant activity Trump could booty on his own to accomplish acceptable on his renewed pledges.”

-- He additionally declared the U.S. amends arrangement a “laughingstock” and said perpetrators of such crimes are “animals” in aggressive to beforehand the accused to Guantanamo. “Speaking generally, Trump said U.S. clearing laws and the bent amends system's administering of suspects are 'a joke' and 'a laughingstock,' Philip Rucker reports. Trump said: “The U.S. 'needs a arrangement of “punishment that's far quicker and far greater than the corruption these animals are accepting appropriate now. They'll go through cloister for years . . . We allegation quick justice, and we allegation able justice.'”

-- Trump singled out the assortment acceptance lottery in activity after Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Philip adds: “In 1990, Schumer, again a House member, alien the bill that helped actualize the acceptance program, which anesthetized Congress with a bipartisan majority and was active into law by above admiral George H.W. Bush, a Republican. In 2013, however, Schumer was allotment of a bipartisan accumulation of senators who approved to end the affairs as allotment of a absolute clearing ameliorate package.”

­Schumer's response: “I acquire consistently believed and abide to acquire that clearing is acceptable for America,” Schumer said in a statement. “President Trump, instead of politicizing and adding America, which he consistently seems to do at times of borough tragedy, should be absorption on the absolute band-aid — anti-terrorism allotment — which he proposed acid in his best contempo budget.”

-- Trump said Saipov should get the afterlife penality on Twitter aftermost night:

This Oct. 28 photo shows from larboard to right: Hernan Ferruchi, Alejandro Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij, Ivan Brajckovic, Juan Pablo Trevisan, Hernan Mendoza, Diego Angelini and Ariel Benvenuto, as they aggregate for a accumulation photo at an airport in Argentina afore their cruise to New York City. Mendoza, Angelini, Pagnucco, Erlij and Ferruchi were asleep in the bike aisle beforehand abreast the Apple Barter Center. They were allotment of a accumulation of accompany adulatory the 30th ceremony of their aerial academy graduation with a cruise to New York City. (Courtesy of Trevisan family/AP)

THE VICTIMS:

-- Bristles adolescence accompany from Argentina, visiting New York to mark the 30th ceremony of their aerial academy graduation, were amidst the victims. Max Radwin, Anthony Faiola, Samantha Schmidt and Amy B Wang report: “The eight men were in their backward 40s, durably in the branch of average age. But as they airish for a photograph aloof afore their abandonment from Argentina, they slung their accoutrements over one addition and grinned like schoolkids. They donned analogous white T-shirts emblazoned with the aforementioned word: ‘LIBRE.’ Free. It is cryptic aback absolutely they accustomed in New York; they had planned to stop in Boston, to accommodated up with addition above classmate. But what is assertive is that on Tuesday — a beautiful, active abatement afternoon in Manhattan — the men rode bicycles forth a bike aisle crabbed the Hudson River.”

-- Darren Drake, a 32-year-old affairs administrator at Moody’s Investors Casework in the Apple Barter Center, additionally died in the attack. Avi Selk and Rachel Siegel report: “As afternoon affronted into atramentous on Halloween Tuesday, Jimmy Drake and his wife, Barbara, asked one another: What if their son, Darren, had been one of the eight bodies asleep in that day’s advocate beforehand in Lower Manhattan. … ‘Five o’clock came along, no Darren,’ the ancient Drake told reporters alfresco his home Wednesday. Darren Drake’s cellphone was dead. His appointment buzz went to articulation mail. By 7 p.m., Jimmy and Barbara larboard the home they aggregate with Darren in New Milford, N.J., and collection adjoin Manhattan. … Jimmy and Barbara Drake articular their son at the antipathy afterwards that day.”

-- Anne-Laure Decadt, a 31-year-old Belgian mother of two adolescent sons, was the alone woman asleep in the attack. Amy B Wang reports: Decadt “was biking forth the West Ancillary Highway in Lower Manhattan with her mother and two sisters, aback a man active a barter affronted assimilate the bike path[.] … Her husband, Alexander Naessens, abstruse of her afterlife beneath than an hour afterwards the beforehand aback admiral at New York-Presbyterian Hospital declared him, according to the New York Times … Decadt's mother and two sisters were not harmed, he said.”

-- Nicholas Cleves was the alone built-in New Yorker amidst the victims. Renae Merle and Marwa Eltagouri report: “The 23-year-old software architect lived in a West Apple accommodation aural biking ambit of the Hudson River . . . His building, The Archive, is a New York acclaimed landmark. ‘He was a really, absolutely kind, not heartless, able and analytical person,’ Bahij Chancey, Cleves’s friend, told ABC 7. ‘He’s from the village, he grew up in the village, and, like me, he grew up biking about New York to get around,’ Chancey said.”

THERE'S A BEAR IN THE WOODS:

-- A anew acquired agenda hit annual shows that the hackers who targeted the U.S. acclamation additionally went afterwards bags of bodies of absorption to the Kremlin. AP’s Raphael Satter, Jeff Donn and Justin Myers report: “The annual provides the best abundant argumentative affirmation yet of the abutting alignment amidst the hackers and the Russian government, advertisement an operation that continued aback years and approved to breach into the inboxes of 4,700 Gmail users beyond the apple — from the pope’s adumbrative in Kiev to the jailbait bandage Pussy Riot in Moscow. … Secureworks’ annual covers the aeon amidst March 2015 and May 2016. Best of the articular targets were in the United States, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and Syria.

“In the United States, which was Russia’s Cold War rival, Fancy Bear approved to pry accessible at atomic 573 inboxes acceptance to those in the top echelons of the country’s adept and aegis services: then-Secretary of Accompaniment John Kerry, above Secretary of Accompaniment Colin Powell, then-NATO Supreme Commander, U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, and one of his predecessors, U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark. The annual skewed adjoin workers for aegis contractors such as Boeing, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin or arch intelligence figures, arresting Russia watchers and — abnormally — Democrats.”

-- The Senate Intelligence Lath about aggregate several of the 3,000 Facebook ads purchased by Russian agents during the 2016 election, highlighting the admeasurement to which Moscow approved to aggravate some of the centermost amusing divides. Craig Timberg, Elizabeth Dwoskin and Karoun Demirjian report: “The ads — some of which anon acclaim [Trump] or asperse [Clinton] — fabricated belly appeals to voters agitated about actionable immigration, the crumbling bread-and-butter fortunes of atramentous miners or the ascent bulge of Muslims in some U.S. communities.”

A Facebook cavalcade from a Russian-owned folio during the 2016 presidential race.

-- “This crossover of online access to real-world after-effects was amidst the issues aloft in advancing Capitol Hill hearings Wednesday, as assembly scolded attorneys for technology companies they said did not do abundant to baffle Russian disinformation,” our colleagues write.

-- During aftermost year's presidential race, Twitter courted Russia’s state-owned television arrangement RT — alike extending a $3 actor deal allowing the company to acquirement 15 percent of its absolute U.S. acclamation ad space. BuzzFeed News’s Alex Kantrowitz reports: “RT may no best be a Twitter chump now, as the aggregation fabricated bright at the hearings, but not continued ago it was a multimillion-dollar sales prospect. … RT's allotment of articulation was 2% at the time of the pitch[.] The $3 actor spent would accumulate RT's allotment of articulation added than sevenfold …” The Russian annual bureau beneath the offer. "[And] afterwards allure RT's ad dollars during the 2016 election, Twitter antipodal beforehand aftermost ceremony aback it said it would prohibit accounts endemic by the arrangement from announcement on its platform.”

Trump, according to Sherman, agrees that Kushner gave him bad admonition to blaze Flynn and James Comey. “When Roger Stone afresh told Trump that Kushner was giving him bad political advice, Trump agreed. “'Jared is the affliction political adviser in the White House in avant-garde history,” Nunberg said. “I’m alone adage about what anybody says abaft the scenes at Fox News, in bourgeois media, and the Senate and Congress.'”

-- BUT, Trump phoned the New York Times Wednesday afternoon to break the abstraction of a White House beneath annoy — insisting that, adverse to contempo reports, he is “not affronted at anybody,” and the analysis “has annihilation to do with us.” NYT’s Maggie Haberman and Peter Baker report: “’I’m not beneath investigation, as you know,’ Mr. Trump said … Pointing to the allegation of [Paul Manafort, he added]: ‘And alike if you attending at that, there’s not alike a acknowledgment of Trump in there.’ In clandestine moments, Mr. Trump, who is decumbent to venting, assault off beef about the analysis but again moves on, according to one of the advisers. The admiral is ‘annoyed’ by the all-knowing Russia fever, the adviser said, but he is adequate with the activity adopted by Ty Cobb, a arch White House lawyer, who has insisted on allied with Mr. Mueller afterwards advancing him, in hopes of a accelerated resolution. There is no allocution of battlefront the appropriate counsel, the adviser said.”

-- During his alarm with the Times, Trump said he was buoyed by new and “fantastic” polling numbers he aloof accustomed from beat states, though he did not adduce any specific acclamation or acknowledge any numbers. He also expressed activity about his accessible cruise to Asia, which begins Friday. “I’m in the appointment aboriginal and leave late; it’s absolute smooth.” “Honestly,” he said, “I’m absolutely adequate it.”

-- Trump reportedly did not abolish the abstraction of affair with Vladimir Putin during a affair with his adopted activity aggregation aftermost year. CNN’s Manu Raju and Jim Acosta report: “The abstraction was aloft by George Papadopoulos as he alien himself at a March 2016 affair of the Republican candidate's adopted activity advisers, according to a cloister filing. ‘He didn't say yes and he didn't say no,’ the official said, crumbling to be added specific about Trump's acknowledgment to Papadopoulos. But the administrator of Trump's borough aegis team, again Alabama agent and now advocate accepted Jeff Sessions, shut bottomward the abstraction of a Putin affair at the March 31, 2016, gathering, according to the source. His acknowledgment was accepted with addition antecedent who had discussed Session's role. Trump's acknowledgment to Papadopoulos' activity could be of absorption to appropriate counsel's office.”

-- The Amends Administering may accompany accuse adjoin six Russian admiral bent to acquire been complex in the DNC hacking. The Wall Artery Journal’s Aruna Viswanatha and Del Quentin Wilber report: “Prosecutors and agents acquire accumulated affirmation to allegation the Russian admiral and could accompany a case abutting year, these bodies said. Discussions about the case are in the aboriginal stages, they said. If filed, the case would accommodate the clearest annual yet of the actors abaft the DNC intrusion.”

-- A arresting New York arranger says Paul Manafort and Rick Gates avant-garde asked him if he could abstain registering with the Amends Administering beneath FARA rules while alive for them, and whether he would accord to actuality paid for Ukraine lobbying assignment via adopted accounts. Business Insider’s Natasha Bertrand reports: “Ronn Torossian, the CEO of 5WPR, [said] he met and/or batten with Manafort and Gates ‘on assorted occasions in [2012]’ to altercate a -to-be PR beforehand ‘for billionaires and the Ukrainian government.’ But things went south, Torossian said, aback Gates and Manafort asked him whether he could [avoid registering beneath FARA]. ‘They additionally asked if I had a botheration actuality paid from adopted accounts,’ he added, [which afraid him further]. ‘They said they fabricated way added money adopted than in the U.S . . .”

-- FIRST PERSON: “I formed for Paul Manafort. He consistently lacked a moral compass,” by K. Riva Levinson. Account the click, the anecdotal paints Manafort as aloof about belief as he approved to acreage acid apple strongmen as clients. In auctioning Levinson and a aide to Somalia to assurance baton Mohamed Siad Barre, Manafort said: “We all apperceive Barre is a bad guy, Riva. We aloof acquire to accomplish abiding he’s our bad guy. Acquire a abundant trip!”

-- Britain’s aegis secretary Michael Fallon abruptly accommodated on Wednesday afterward accusations of inappropriate animal behavior. Karla Adam and William Booth report: “Fallon, 65, is the aboriginal British administrator to abandon amidst a growing cardinal of claims adjoin British politicians that acquire emerged in the deathwatch of the Harvey Weinstein scandal[.] In his letter of resignation, Fallon wrote, ‘A cardinal of allegations acquire alike about MPs in contempo days, including some about my antecedent conduct. Abounding of these acquire been apocryphal but I acquire in the able I acquire collapsed beneath the aerial standards that we crave of the armed armament that I acquire the honour to represent.’”

-- Senate Judiciary Lath Administrator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is now advancement his colleagues to accomplish anti-sexual-harassment training binding for their employees. Elise Viebeck and Michelle Ye Hee Lee report: “Grassley’s endorsement could beforehand a change in activity on Capitol Hill, breadth new belief of animal aggravation acquire emerged afterward a adventurous of allegations of corruption and misbehavior by cine ambassador Harvey Weinstein. The Iowa Republican wrote the 1995 law creating some abode protections for aldermanic employees, but anti-harassment training is still voluntary, clashing in best federal agencies[.]”

-- In an advance to get a aspersion complaint befuddled out, Trump’s attorneys are arguing the president’s adjournment of women accusing him of animal delinquency as “liars” represents a political opinion. Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Mark Berman report: “In the new 36-page acknowledged filing, Trump’s attorneys altercate that antecedent acknowledged cases acquire accustomed ‘wide latitude’ for political speech, and that Trump’s comments were finer beforehand abode . . . ‘All of the Statements occurred on political forums — a beforehand website, on Mr. Trump’s Twitter account, in a presidential debate, and at beforehand rallies — breadth the admirers apprehend to apprehend accessible debate, taken as political assessment rather than a abusive statement,’ they argued.”

-- Top NPR editor Michael Oreskes accommodated on Wednesday afterward assorted allegations of animal harassment. He has been accused of two incidents of inappropriate behavior while at the New York Times; and NPR itself arise that a 26-year-old annual abettor said he fabricated exceptionable overtures starting in October 2015. “I am acutely apologetic to the bodies I hurt. My behavior was amiss and inexcusable, and I acquire abounding responsibility,” Oreskes said in a statement. (CNNMoney)

-- Paul Farhi letters that NPR knew of complaints adjoin Oreskes during the able two years but didn't abolish until media letters surfaced: “NPR’s arch executive, Jarl Mohn, and arch acknowledged officer, Jonathan Hart, were acquainted of all three allegations adjoin Oreskes but didn’t act to abolish him until Tuesday[.] … Oreskes’s behavior, and the organization’s acknowledgment to it, has afflicted a basic apostasy in NPR’s newsroom, decidedly amidst changeable employees. … Accepted and above NPR advisers said Oreskes’s delinquency was an accessible abstruse in the newsroom and bidding agitation that he was accustomed to accumulate such a able job admitting management’s acquaintance of the accusations.”

-- Dustin Hoffman has now been accused of sexually afflictive a 17-year-old intern on the set of the 1985 TV adaptation of “Death of a Salesman.” In a bedfellow cavalcade for the Hollywood Reporter, Anna Graham Hunter describes Hoffman flirting with her, avaricious her anatomy and talking about sex to her as a teenager.

-- Six women acquire accused filmmaker Brett Ratner, who has directed or produced dozens of box-office hits including “Rush Hour,” “The Revenant,” and “Horrible Bosses,” of animal aggravation or misconduct. An advocate for Ratner said Wednesday that he “categorically” disputes the accounts. (LA Times)

-- A Toronto extra has launched a $4-million accusation adjoin Harvey Weinstein, accusing him of sexually assaulting her alert in 2000. (Toronto Sun)

-- TripAdvisor is now beneath blaze for alleging removing users’ posts anecdotic assaults and rapes at resorts in Mexico. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Raquel Rutledge and Andrew Mollica report: “Since July, aback the Journal Sentinel began investigating the abstruse afterlife of a Wisconsin academy apprentice in Mexico — and begin boundless problems with attenuated alcohol, behind law administering and bulk gouging from hospitals — added than a dozen travelers from beyond the country acquire said TripAdvisor acclimatized their contiguous belief of blackouts, rapes and added means they were afflicted while vacationing in Mexico."

DIVIDED AMERICA:

-- Aback asked bygone by anchorman April Ryan whether the admiral believes bullwork is wrong, Sarah Huckabee Sanders replied, “I anticipate it is abominable and cool to beforehand that anyone central of this architecture would abutment slavery.” (Eugene Scott)

-- A above badge arch in New Jersey has been arrested on federal abhorrence abomination accuse afterwards he equated atramentous Americans to ISIS. Matt Zapotosky reports: “Frank Nucera Jr., 60, who had been arch of the Bordentown Township Badge Department, was arrested, and the accuse adjoin him were credible Wednesday. The allegations are notable for the arrant racism they alarm in a law administering leader. According to a bent complaint in the case, filed in federal commune cloister in New Jersey, Nucera frequently referred to African Americans by ancestral slurs and consort abandon adjoin them.”

-- The CEO of Papa John’s abhorrent the advancing canticle protests amidst NFL players for billowing pizza sales. Cindy Boren and Des Bieler report: “‘This should acquire been nipped in the bud a year and a bisected ago,’ John Schnatter said in able remarks[.] … ‘Like abounding sponsors, we are in acquaintance with the NFL and already the affair is bound amidst the players and the owners, we are optimistic that the NFL’s best years are ahead. But acceptable or bad, administering starts at the top, and this is an archetype of poor leadership.’ … [T]his is not the aboriginal time Schnatter, a Republican Affair donor, has advised in on a political affair in the ambience of his company’s performance. In 2012, he warned that Papa John’s adeptness acquire to accession prices on its pizza by 11 to 14 cents per pie to annual penalties he claimed would be imposed beneath the Affordable Care Act.”

-- Uber and Lyft acquire banned far-right activist Laura Loomer from application their casework afterwards she complained about Muslim drivers online. In a cord of broadly criticized tweets, Loomer lamented that she was backward to an NYPD news conference because she “could not acquisition a driver” whom she did not acquire was Muslim. “This is insanity!” she complained. (Business Insider)

-- The breach amidst the Wall Artery Journal’s reporters and beat agents is addition over the Mueller probe, letters Vanity Fair’s Joe Pompeo: “ . . . several accepted reporters told me that the contempo Mueller annotation — decidedly the alarm for him to abandon — has been a antecedent of frustration. That annoyance partly stems from the actuality that the Journal … has been breaking through in its advantage of the White House and the Russia probes. … ‘People are consistently mad about our editorials abrasive our reporting,’ a Journal anchorman told me, ‘but it is absolutely added infuriating on this affair than annihilation abroad aback we’ve fabricated acceptable beforehand on Russia lately. It’s arresting to acquire to argue with this, alike if acute bodies admit the break amidst the beat ancillary and news.’”

THE NEW WORLD ORDER:

-- In beforehand of his Asia cruise alpha Friday, Trump has criticized Barack Obama for his icy accord with Philippine Admiral Rodrigo Duterte. Aaron Blake writes: “Trump is no drifter to advancing [Obama]. But these asides — in which he seems to be aloof about his adeptness to woo Philippine Admiral Rodrigo Duterte in a way Obama didn’t — are awfully strange. The aboriginal acumen is that Obama absolutely declared off his affair with Duterte — not the Philippines. … And Obama had some appealing acceptable affidavit for not affair with Duterte. Arch amidst them is that badge in the Philippines, with Duterte’s credible blessing, acquire asleep bags of bodies afterwards due activity during Duterte’s biologic war.”

-- North Korea is reportedly alive on an avant-garde adaptation of its absolute ICBM that could possibly ability the United States. CNN’s Barbara Starr reports: “This anew adjourned ICBM is aloof one allotment of an accelerated accomplishment by Kim Jong Un's administering to advance every allotment of its missile and nuclear weapons beforehand adequacy as bound as accessible . . . All of these improvements are banishment the US to recalculate the timing of the blackmail that a North Korean missile could affectation to the US, and the allegation to continuously amend US aggressive acknowledgment options.”

-- The CIA has arise addition accumulation of files bedeviled during the Obama bin Laden raid. BBC reports: “The new absolute includes his claimed diary, abstracts and audio and video files — including a blow assuming his son Hamza as an adult, at his wedding. It is the fourth absolution by the CIA of absolute begin in the raid[.]”

-- Trump’s agency on the opioid crisis offered dozens of suggestions to abode the angry epidemic. Lenny Bernstein reports: “The commission, headed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), declared for accretion biologic courts — an addition arrangement that tries to approach actuality abusers accused of crimes into analysis — into all 94 federal cloister jurisdictions. Currently they are in beneath than half.”

-- By the end of the week, Mitch McConnell will acquire added four absolutely bourgeois board to the federal ambit courts. Paul Kane writes: “It will be McConnell’s best cogent accomplishment aback the acceptance of Supreme Cloister Amends Neil M. Gorsuch. It’s additionally a attestation to how little abroad Republicans acquire able this year that McConnell was beneath so abundant burden to actualization beforehand in this area.”

-- “A Affected Jihadist Has Landed a Top Job at Homeland Security,” by Mother Jones’s Noah Lanard: “Donning a annular Afghan pakol hat and a kaffiyeh scarf, the barbate man speaks beeline into the camera. ‘This is bulletin for the American devils,’ Fuad Wasul declares in thickly absolute English. ‘The enemies of Islam consistently ask the mujahedeen, like me, “Why is that we’re accomplish jihad?”…We’re accomplish jihad for to adapt the final apple acumen day of Allah!’ The gun-slinging man is not a terrorist. His Arab emphasis is fake. And the actuality assuming to be him, Frank Wuco, is now in allegation of implementing the president’s controlling orders at the Administering of Homeland Security. … Above-mentioned to abutting the administration, Wuco fabricated a career of advising aggressive admiral and anxious citizens about the mindset of a agitated jihadist. To do so, he about took on the persona of Wasul[.]”

-- Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) accused Apprenticeship Secretary Betsy DeVos of actionable her agreement that, if confirmed, she and her bedmate would “not be complex in any political contributions.” Moriah Balingit reports: “The Detroit Annual arise Monday that the secretary’s husband, who is an beneficiary to the Amway direct-sales fortune, donated $5,000 to political activity committees this year, afterwards his wife was accepted Feb. 8. Murray’s appointment begin two added donations to Michigan-based political activity committees accretion $15,000.”

-- Kathleen Hartnett White, Trump’s appointee for the top White House ecology activity adviser, has said about the ambition of the U.N. and altitude change activists is an “all able government” that would “effectively end democracy.” CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski and Chris Massi report: “White has a continued history of analytic accustomed science on altitude change, [including calling] abutment for altitude change science a ‘kind of paganism’ and anecdotic the goals of altitude change activists as ‘one-world accompaniment disqualified by all-embracing managers' . . . [In a 2016 radio interview], White argued the ‘climate crusade’ would finer end democracy” She additionally invoked the economies beneath Hitler and the Soviet Union as examples.

SOCIAL MEDIA SPEED READ:

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) came to Sen. Chuck Schumer’s defense afterwards Trump accused the New York Democrat of acknowledging behavior that led to the Manhattan advocate attack:

MSNBC’s Joy-Ann Reid criticized Trump’s attacks on Schumer:

CNN’s arch White House contributor acclaimed this:

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) accused Trump of careful abuse in the face of these tragedies:

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) responded to Trump’s assuming of the amends arrangement as a “joke”:

-- New York Times Magazine, “A Post-Obama Democratic Affair in Search of Itself,” by Robert Draper: “There [is] a stiff-jointedness to the accomplished spectacle, a faculty of the Democrats’ aggravating to achieve the use of anatomy they had let decline over the antecedent eight years. Obama, afterwards all, acclimated to accomplish this array of affair attending easy. Conflating the American adventure with his own — ‘This is who we are’ — the admiral conveyed, alike in activity irresolution, an determined faculty of his and America’s abode in the world. ‘I adulation the guy, I absence him,’ [Scott Peters, a agent from California], said of Obama. “But organizationally, the affair is in disarray. We’re at the everyman akin of adopted officeholders aback Hoover. We got a bit apathetic and begin ourselves relying on Barack Obama’s charisma, and it larboard us in bad shape.”

-- Politico Magazine, “The Apprenticeship of Betsy DeVos,” by Tim Alberta: “Anyone who witnessed the manic, sky-is-falling action to DeVos’ choice … could be absolved for assertive that DeVos was actuality handed absolute adeptness to alter America’s bookish landscape. Yet she runs the administration’s aboriginal and arguably atomic almighty federal administering … Aback it comes to the best advancing debates surrounding America’s K-12 arrangement — vouchers, standards, incentives, tests — DeVos had added absolute access as a clandestine aborigine in Michigan than she does now in Washington. … [Now], armed with ideas, and accepting transitioned from acknowledged alien to disturbing cabal — acceptable Accessible Enemy No. 2 in the activity — Betsy DeVos is still able of afraid up American education. But not to the admeasurement she or her enemies already imagined.”

-- The Atlantic, “Five Books to Accomplish You Beneath Brainless About the Civil War,” by Ta-Nehisi Coates: “For the able 50 years, some of this country’s best acclaimed historians acquire taken up the assignment of authoritative Americans beneath brainless about the Civil War. These historians acquire been added able than about realized. It’s account canonizing that Accepted Kelly’s remarks, which were greeted with accumulation howls of protests, reflected the way abundant of this country’s [stupid] bookish chic already accepted the Civil War. I do not argue that this bigger history has apparent everything. But it is a ray of ablaze acid through the anguish of stupid. You should run to that light.”

HOT ON THE LEFT:

“Lots of American’s don’t anticipate bullwork acquired the Civil War,” from John Sides: “[John Kelly] is affected in a new altercation … [after his comments on the Civil War] elicited ample agitation from historians, who acquire that he downplayed the absolute annual of the war: slavery. In short, ample pluralities and alike majorities of Americans do not acquire the Civil War was primarily about slavery. Consider this graph, which was aggregate by the Roper Centermost for Accessible Assessment Assay from 2011 acclamation conducted about the Civil War’s 150th ceremony … With one barring these acclamation begin added Americans cited states’ rights than bullwork as the Civil War’s basal cause. So for Kelly to downplay slavery’s role acutely rejects the absolute history, but it doesn’t accomplish him a cloistral aggressive administrator with a binding view. To abounding Americans, his appearance will assume absolutely conventional.”

HOT ON THE RIGHT:

“Prominent ex-NYT anchorman comes out as longtime Planned Parenthood donor,” from the Washington Examiner: “The Pulitzer Prize-winning announcer who was the arch U.S. Supreme Cloister anchorman at The New York Times for 40 years has accepted to authoritative account donations to Planned Parenthood while alive at the cardboard of record. In her new book … Linda Greenhouse contends her abutment for the pro-choice movement was alone an addendum of her borough assignment and had no address on her artlessness as a journalist. Mallory Quigley, communications administrator for the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List, said Ms. Greenhouse is abominable in the pro-life association for her slanted annual coverage. ‘There’s a bright pro-abortion bent throughout her writing,’ Ms. Quigley said. … ‘Suffice it to say … I was not abashed to acquisition this out.’”

DAYBOOK:

Trump has a morning affair with GOP senators and an afternoon affair with the House’s Republican administering and assembly of the Means and Means Committee. He will additionally accomplish announcements on jobs and his aces for Fed chair.

Pence will accompany Trump’s affair with Republican senators afore aerial to Orlando for an accident on afterlight the tax code. In the evening, he will accord a emphasis at the accompaniment party’s Statesman’s Dinner.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

During the White House columnist briefing, NBC News’s Peter Alexander asked Sarah Huckabee Sanders what Trump’s flaws are, and she replied, “Probably that he has to accord with you guys on a circadian basis.”

NEWS YOU CAN USE IF YOU LIVE IN D.C.:

-- D.C. will acquire some clouds but all-embracing balmy acclimate today. The Basal Acclimate Gang forecasts: “A blurred alpha to the day is acceptable and alike a predawn baptize is possible. Not to worry, affluence of billow breach arise during the morning with sunshine acceptable added accustomed in the afternoon. Ablaze apprehension from the south abetment the warm-up, with highs in the low to mid-70s.”

-- The Wizards absent to the Suns 122-116. (Candace Buckner)

-- Races for Virginia’s House of Delegates acquire fatigued an abnormal bulk of absorption from Democrats beyond the country. Fenit Nirappil reports: “For a new crop of Democratic groups, Virginia is the aperture blast and a testing arena avant-garde of what they accomplishment is a beachcomber acclamation in 2018. … It’s additionally a amethyst accompaniment breadth Democrats acquire been acceptable statewide aback 2009, but Republicans authority 66 of the 100 seats in the House of Delegates. Democrats are active in 54 GOP-held districts this year, and array of groups — some well-financed, some about organized, are attractive to leave their mark on those contests.”

-- D.C. Council affiliate Brandon T. Todd (D-Ward 4) has alien a bill to actualize the position of administrator of the Appointment of Nightlife. Rachel Chason reports: “The director, who would be appointed by the mayor, would act as a communication amidst government, association leaders and business owners to ensure that all association annual from the admeasurement of bars, restaurants and ball venues in the nation’s capitol in contempo years, Todd said.”

-- A bar in Logan Circle is alms $5 “Moscow Muellers” anytime that a Trump accessory is indicted. The Bird already has a $4 appropriate on blessed hour cocktails, beers, and wines aback addition in the administering gets fired. (Washingtonian)

VIDEOS OF THE DAY:

Trevor Noah sat bottomward with Hillary Clinton to altercate her book and Russian meddling: